


you're a stranger i know well

by smallredboy



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Divorce, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, thomas jefferson: terrible human being
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 02:58:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11523102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: Thomas uses Alexander's weaknesses against him. The effect is obvious, both in him and Alexander.





	you're a stranger i know well

**Author's Note:**

> i dont know if i should expect people to give me shit for wriring jefferson as abusive but if you think i shouldnt just remember he was a rapist irl
> 
> this was for trope_bingo, and the trope was mind games. its defined as "a largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor look superior", and thats exactly what jefferson does here, so i think it fits. 
> 
> enjoy!

Thomas opens the door to his house in Washington, D.C and takes off his purple coat, putting it in the closet in front of the main door. James is watching TV in the sofa and Thomas walks towards him when he looks up, smiling fondly.

"Hi, baby," he says, and he sees the ever sickly look in James' face. He goes closer to him and kisses him, a bit too gentle, their lips moving in a rhythm only they know. When he pulls away, James coughs, and he threads his fingers through his own hair.

"Hey. How was work?" James asks as he puts his head against Thomas' chest, breathing softly as the other man puts his hand on his hair, which is cut short.

Thomas huffs before putting his arm around James' shoulder, pulling him closer to him. "It was okay. Washington approved Hamilton's financial plan, so I tortured Hamilton a little as a payback."

"What'd you tell him?" James asks after sighing, probably because he hears about his husband's antics at work everyday.

Thomas smiles mischievously before kissing James' forehead. "Nothing too bad, just asked him how the divorce was going, who's gonna get custody." He laughs a little. "He's so fucking touchy, he can't even talk about it."

"Maybe because it's still going, Thomas," James says, trying to reason with his husband. They've been married for years, and getting into the White House was a little hard when Thomas is openly gay and married to another man. "You weren't very open about it when you divorced from Martha, babe."

"More than him, anyway. He paled and told me to fuck off, before adding something about that the custody is going to him." James huffs. "Yeah, I don't think Eliza will let that happen. She's too strong of a woman to just let the kids go to a cheater."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Would have, but Laurens stepped in and told me to leave Hamilton alone." The memory makes him snort; Laurens' face red as he watched him argue with Hamilton, how he had pushed him aside and told him to leave Hamilton alone. A little too protective, if you ask him. "He was so angry, it was funny."

Thomas doesn't feel guilty about what he does to Hamilton often; it's simply something he does, almost because it's funny. But no, he does dislike the younger man. He's an asshole, and he cheated on his wife, which is detestable, if you ask him. "You think I should stop?" he mutters, and he knows his husband knows what he's talking about.

"Not really. He probably shakes it off, it's just your form of getting some amusement while working at the government."

Thomas snorts. That's pretty much what it is, and Hamilton has gone through way too much to even care about some other man in the government tells him to pester him. He's stronger than that, and even Thomas knows that.

It's maybe a little bad, what he does, but he doesn't care. He's working just fine as the Secretary of State, Washington trusts him somewhat, and he's married. He doesn't really need to worry about what he does to Hamilton.

* * *

Moving to another house in Washington, D.C. because you're getting divorced is hellish. Alexander had to take all his things and leave to Laurens' houe before Eliza screamed at him to leave. He doesn't want to deal with anything, and the way Jefferson does what he does just makes everything way, way worse.

He slams the front door before walking to the kitchen, where John always is. He sees him in all his freckled, long-haired glory, and he smiles before sitting down in front of him. Even though his life isn't exactly good now, he at least still has one of his friends with him.

"Jefferson keeps fucking pestering me about everything," is the first thing he says, and John looks up to him. He had to barge in this day, yes, but there's so many occasions where the other man wasn't present at all. "He's been doing this since I became part of the Treasury."

"What does he tell you?" John asks, being as therapist-y as he's always been.

Alexander laughs coldly before he takes the glass of soda John served and takes a sip. "He puts my faults and my past against me. He told me no wonder Eliza is getting divorced from me when I'm such a slut— I think I was checking out someone." He sighs and puts his hands on his face, sighing. He hates this. "He tells me my father had a good reason to leave my mom, that reason being me. He's so fucking terrible."

"How does no one get him out of the government? That's emotional manipulation, abuse, however you put it. He wants you to feel inferior to him, Alex."

"I know! But I have no idea how to stop him— he just thinks he's being cool."

"He's aware he's being a complete asshole," John counters. "You have to put a stop to it, dude."

"I don't know how, okay!" he raises his voice, and John tenses up and he sees how his hands tremble for a split second. "Sorry, I didn't mean it, I got upset, you didn't do anything, John," he says, quick, agitated, because he knows he remembers his father from being yelled at. "It's okay, John, it's okay."

"I'm— I'm fine," he mutters, shaking his head as he tries to calm down. "But, do you feel he's superior?"

"Back to therapy mode," Alexander mutters, and John kills him with his stare. "I know he isn't, but I feel like he is sometimes. He's rich, he doesn't come from a city that got destroyed, he has a loving spouse, he's... he's got everything I don't."

"That doesn't make him superior," John reasons.

"I know it doesn't," Alexander hisses, getting up to get a glass of water. He'd throw it on his face to try and wake up, but he doesn't want to mess up his hair. He takes a sip and sighs. "I want all of this to be over. I don't know why I cheated on her, why was I so stupid to sleep with Maria."

"It's okay, ba— dude," John says, correcting himself before something slips up, and Alexander looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "You did wrong, yes, but you know you made a mistake."

"It cost me my marriage, John," he tells him. It hurts him, how he made such a terrible mistake. It felt good, but the morning after he was riddled with guilt. When Eliza found out his life just went from bad to worse.

"You learned from it."

Alexander throws his head back and sighs tiredly. "I just wish Jefferson didn't rub my mistakes, my life on my face. It's fucking tiring." The memories of Jefferson telling him he isn't nothing without Washington, how he's told him he should've died instead of his mother attack him, and God, he hates it.

"You should tell him to stop."

"He'll stop if I don't react."

"He won't."

Alexander hides his face behind his hands before taking a sip of his glass of water. "I'm going to bed, John." John gets up and hugs him, says a quiet 'I love you' against his ear. He shivers, because John knows everything he's done wrong, but yet he still claims he loves him. He's not worthy of that, and he hates John and himself, because he's ignoring how untrustworthy he is.

"I love you too," he tells him, voice empty. John sighs and kisses his cheek. Alexander doesn't feel too much, and he wishes he could feel something for his friend in the middle of all that's happened.

He checks his phone— not seeing Eliza's texts feels weird, even after two weeks as the divorce happened. He doesn't mind the fact they're getting divorced, it's just how heartbreaking her hating him is.

He strips down from his clothes and goes to bed. He has a hard time falling asleep, regrets eating him alive. He sighs and hears as John walks towards his own room. He falls asleep a while after.


End file.
